BAD TASTE! LOUD RIFFS! TOO MUCH CUM!
The Halo Effect
A disciplined, sharply arranged melodic death metal record that balances immediate hooks with structural control and sustained tension.
In Flames
Colony is rich in melody and guitar detail, but its expanded runtime exposes repetition that the strongest songs easily conceal.
Impellitteri
A tightly played heavy-metal record with serious riffing power, sharp drumming and just enough excess to slow its momentum.
Delain
A spectral waltz through gothic grandeur, 'Dance with the Devil' finds Delain both embracing their legacy and forging a thrilling new path.
Brothers of Metal
A vivid, emotionally committed power-metal journey that turns Norse mythology into something warmer than simple battle-pageantry.
Korpiklaani
Korpiklaani’s drinking-song energy produces a few infectious moments, but thin arrangements and repetitive writing quickly exhaust the novelty.
Children Of Bodom
A dazzling rush of keyboards, solos and melodic aggression, but the spectacle sometimes outruns the songs beneath it.
Phronexis
A flamboyant, hook-heavy metal record whose excess works because the songs beneath it are sharp, varied and built to move a crowd.
Ensiferum
A valiant, if somewhat predictable, return to form for Ensiferum’s folk-infused metal mayhem.
Ensiferum
Ensiferum’s debut combines heroic melody, blackened aggression and folk atmosphere with remarkable confidence and unusually strong songwriting.
Opeth
Opeth’s landmark atmosphere remains potent, but the album’s grand scale too often turns tension into delay and repetition.
Dan Terminus
A dense, cinematic electronic-metal hybrid rich in texture and momentum, though its long runtime blunts the strongest ideas.